fleets: I'm at my ALL-TIME record (I think) of submitting 8 chapters a day (almost - I think I skipped one) in a row! Yes!
Not much to say other than the fact that I am extremely tired now hahaha

Chapter 8: The Water Temple

It was just past noon when Sheik and Fuu made it to Lake Hylia. It was a warm summer day, and there were some people fishing from little canoes and children swimming on the shores. It was not immediately obvious where Shadow Link could have been, and Fuu wished he'd had a better idea of where to look for him rather than "Lake Hylia." The lake was fairly expansive and there were plenty of places to hide: Fuu could see small caves in the canyon walls that cradled the lake as well as a few islets in the middle. While it seemed as though there had once been bridges that linked the islets together, only the rotting wood of the broken beams remained, and they stuck out of the water like pillars. Sheik and Fuu made their way down the rocky slope that led down the cliff to the lake's shore.

"Do you have an idea on where we can find him?" Sheik asked as they walked to the edge of the shore. The water lapped against the fine gravel and mud.

Fuu looked around, hoping that he could spot Shadow Link somewhere. The note that had been left in his room suggested that Shadow Link would indeed be waiting for him somewhere at the lake, but hadn't specified where. There was no sign of the shadow anywhere along the coast. However, the good news was that he did have an idea on where they could find him. The bad news was that he didn't like what it would take to get there. "I think," he said slowly, looking out at the deep, glassy blue of the lake, "he's underwater."

Sheik didn't seem all that surprised by the information, although he didn't look any happier than Fuu. "So he's at the Water Temple," Sheik nodded. "The place had once been used by the Zoras to pay homage to the water spirits, but has since been taken over by monsters after Vaati's attack. That does seem to be a likely place to find Shadow Link." He noticed a raft that had been tied to a dock nearby. He made his way over and then examined the rope that tied it in place. Then, he quickly looked around, making sure the raft's owner was nowhere nearby, and then he quickly cut the rope to free the raft. Fuu ran over to Sheik, somewhat incredulously.

"We're just going to steal that raft?" he asked.

Sheik shrugged. "We're borrowing it. Grab those paddles next to that rock over there."

"I never took you for the stealing type," Fuu grinned, tossing one of the paddles towards Sheik who was already sitting on the wooden raft.

"We're borrowing it."

They paddled out to the center of the lake where the largest islet was. Although the largest one on the lake, the islet was fairly small with only a single tree growing on it, and it was big enough to accommodate a single shack and no more. Fuu was glad that Sheik had agreed to come along, since the warrior seemed to know of the underwater temple whereas Fuu would have had no idea where to start. When they reached the islet, Sheik tied the raft to the single, lonely tree that grew there.

"The temple is directly below here. Keep swimming down until you see a cave entrance and go through: you'll find a pocket of air once inside," he explained as he made sure that the raft was secure. "Can you swim?" Sheik asked when he noticed Fuu in a crouch, peering into the depths below with an unhappy expression.

Fuu's tone indicated that he was a little annoyed by Sheik's doubt of his abilities. "Yes," he said, "but I don't enjoy getting wet." He added, "Shadow Link better be there or else..." With a grimace, he pulled his boots off of his feet and he frowned when Sheik jumped in ahead, splashing some water in his face. Silver scales shimmered as startled fish swam away. Fuu slowly slipped his feet into the water. The cool water should have felt nice in the summer noon, but they hadn't come here for recreation and it was difficult to enjoy it. With a sigh, Fuu dropped into the water.

With a mutual nod, the two Sheikahs dove into the depths to the Water Temple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fuu gasped for air when he broke the surface at the entrance of the Water Temple. The underwater cave had been deeper than he'd thought, and he just barely made it through the narrow tunnel to where there was air. He coughed, wiping his hair and water out of his eyes to find Sheik, who had swum ahead of him. As he crawled onto the turquoise tiles of the temple, he heard a scuffle nearby as well as Shadow Link's taunting voice. He looked up, and saw that Sheik was restrained in a chokehold against the wall with a familiar shadow holding a knife to his neck.

"I thought I told you to come alone," Shadow Link tutted at Fuu, tightening his arms that were wrapped around Sheik's neck. "Or should I not have assumed that you knew how to read?"

Fuu could see what was going to happen next from a mile away. After all, he'd seen Sheik practice escape maneuvers with Impa over the course of the last few days of training, and he'd seen that he was quite good at it. Fuu began to squeeze the water out of his tunic while, with one quick movement, Sheik tripped Shadow Link off balance with a short jab with his leg and then flipped him over, slamming him against the floor.

"Ow!" Shadow winced, and then he scurried back against the wall when he noticed that the knife that had slipped out of his hands was now pointed at his nose, instead. He slowly raised both hands above his head as Sheik crouched in front of him threateningly.

"You. We're taking you back to Hyrule for a nice, long chat," he said. He held up a hand, and white magic crackled between his fingertips. "I'm sure Impa would like to talk to the one who attacked those poor unsuspecting merchants a day ago."

"I was hungry, they had food, so I took some that's all!" Shadow said hurriedly, his voice no longer confident. He eyed the sparks dancing around Sheik's fingers nervously, and he seemed to be more afraid of it than the knife. "H-h-hey! Fuu! Help me out here, will ya? I was good on my word, wasn't I?" he called out to Fuu who was still squeezing the water out of his clothes. Fuu gave an unhelpful shrug. The sparks along Sheik's fingers flashed with a blinding light, and when they dimmed Shadow Link's hands were locked together with a shining rope made of magic.

"He escaped your binds earlier because he's a being of shadow. He can only be restrained with light magic, or in a room with no shadow," Sheik explained when Fuu approached to take a better look at their captive. Sheik's eyes narrowed as he faced Shadow Link; the doppelganger was scowling miserably. "Now, perhaps you can tell me what you were up to. For your sake I hope your answer is a good one."

Shadow Link glowered, trying to shake his wrists out of the binds without much success. "Well your friend there," he gave a nod towards Fuu, "apparently forgot to tell you that I was trying to help y'all by showing you how to beat Dethl."

"Well you shouldn't have escaped," Fuu shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was worried you'd go to the Water Temple without me," Shadow Link frowned. "And I didn't want you to bring any friends along because I'd have to explain to them all over again why I'm being so helpful. I don't like repeating myself, get it?"

Sheik stood up, twirling a dagger between his fingers. "All right, then let's get straight to the point. I don't know the full story but from my understanding, there's something in this temple that can defeat Dethl. What is it?"

A small smile appeared on Shadow Link's lips, and he looked pleased that he was at least being given the chance to explain himself. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his legs lazily. "They're shards. You can call them… 'Dusk Shards.'"

Sheik was full of suspicion, and he interjected, "I've never heard of such things," he said. He was pretty well versed in the various artifacts, real or no, that supposedly existed in and around Hyrule. He knew of almost every legend and every tale related to powerful artifacts, and he had never heard of the 'Dusk Shards' that Shadow Link spoke of.

"Of course you haven't," Shadow Link grinned. "Master Vaati discovered them first, and identified them as vulnerabilities. They have the ability to send creatures of the Dark World back from where they came, including Dethl, who is itself a Dark World being." He continued, pointing at the door of the Water Temple with his cuffed hands. "Realizing their danger, Master Vaati broke the original piece into three different Dusk Shards, and then sealed them away in three temples around Hyrule. They can only be opened by Master Vaati, and strangely enough," Shadow's grin widened as his gaze turned to Fuu, "You."

Fuu glanced at Sheik uneasily, while Sheik had tensed from Shadow Link's suspicious, knowing grin. After all, dungeons that only Fuu could enter had been a story he'd heard before. However, Sheik had never told him that Vaati could open the dungeons as well. Were the dungeons Sheik had described, the dungeons that only he could gain entry to, the same as the ones that Shadow described? Why could they only be opened by him and the infamous wind mage? "Sheik," he asked, a little more quietly than he'd intended, "could these dungeons be the same as-"

"You don't know that Fuu can open these dungeons yet," Sheik interrupted Fuu, shushing the other Sheikah with a protective hand and rounding on Shadow Link instead.

"I do. I saw him at the desert temple. The dungeons let him through where others cannot walk," Shadow Link said simply, enjoying Sheik's unease. "Maybe that's why I mistook him for Master Vaati?" he added with a chuckle, and gave a sly wink in Fuu's direction. Fuu didn't notice, however, as he had a complicated expression on his face and was staring at the blue-green tiles on the floor, lost in thought. With another chuckle, Shadow Link suddenly hopped onto his feet. He walked over to Sheik and placed his cuffed hands against the tip of the dagger that was pointed towards him, and shook his head disapprovingly. "If you don't believe me, maybe I'll prove it to you, here. This temple is another such dungeon that was used by Master Vaati to hide a Dusk Shard, and it can only be opened by Master Vaati, who is dead, and Fuu here. No one, not even me, can get into the chamber with the shard. We'll go and get the shard together, and then we can leave. It's a win-win: I get to show you that I'm true to my word, and you get to go home with something that can beat Dethl. Sound good?"

Sheik's grip on his dagger tightened, and he said nothing for a few long seconds. Logically it did sound good, but in his gut he had a bad feeling about this, and that Shadow Link wasn't telling him everything. He needed to figure out Shadow Link's motive, but he couldn't see it. None of Shadow's behavior made sense to him, unless he was leading the both of them into a trap (highly likely) and the Dusk Shard either a.) didn't exist or b.) wouldn't actually help to beat Dethl. At the same time, the story about how Vaati had sealed some kind of artifact did fit with Sheik's own intel. But if this was true, then why would Vaati go through the trouble of taking extra precautions to seal these artifacts? The only story that seemed to make sense was the one Shadow Link told them: that these artifacts were the key to defeating those from the Dark World.

It was all very confusing, and they were running out of time.

"All right," Sheik finally said, though not lowering the dagger pointed at the darker Link, "lead the way."

"Heh, glad you came around. I don't think I caught your name, by the way," Shadow Link said, walking over to the door of the temple. It was covered in fuzzy, brownish yellow moss, hiding the carving of a large snake-like leviathan. He pressed his weight against it, and it groaned open.

"Sheik," Sheik said, keeping a close distance to Shadow. Fuu tailed them slowly, still seemingly lost in thought about what Shadow Link had revealed. The door led them to a large open chamber filled with the turquoise lake water. The sound of rushing water filled the chamber, and Sheik could see a small waterfall in the far corner that filled the pool. The path that they were on led to a white stone structure in the center. Below in the depths of the water, there were several entrances into the white structure.

"It's easy to get distracted about where to go," Shadow Link warned, noting Sheik looking at the various doors that led to and from the chamber they were in. "The one we want to get to is at the bottom of the water. There's a switch on the far side of the room that will drain the water to the first level. Down there, we'll find a door engraved with a large eye. That's where the shard is."

Shadow Link's blue eyes glimpsed over his shoulder to where Fuu was. Fuu had fallen behind a little, looking around at his surroundings with awe. A sly grin passed over Shadow Link's face, and he slowed down a little, letting Sheik come closer. "You know," he said when Sheik was near, in a voice so low that Fuu wouldn't be able to hear the conversation, "I know what you did."

Sheik froze, the dagger just barely touching Shadow Link's back. He said nothing.

"You indoctrinated him, didn't you? That's Master Vaati."

The dagger shook in Sheik's hands, clattering almost. Red eyes widened behind his mask and they wavered with increasing panic. Sheik's silence was all Shadow Link needed for confirmation.

"Heh," he laughed softly, "I knew it." He began to walk forward again, though still speaking in his hushed tones. "Don't worry," he smiled knowingly, "I'll help keep your little secret. Besides," he turned around to flash a quick wink, "I have my own reasons for not wanting that ugly truth to come out."

Without warning, Sheik's hand shot out towards the surprised Shadow Link with lightning speed. He slammed him against the wall and raised his dagger, ready to plunge it into Shadow's neck. Sheik's eyes had glazed over with some kind of panicked determination, but his shaking hands betrayed his uncertainty. "You…" he whispered, "you're too dangerous. You know too much."

Shadow Link stared at the shaking dagger, his eyes wide. He hadn't expected such an agitated reaction. Then, he noticed some of the tiles beneath his feet were beginning to sink. The tiles were coming loose. Well… shit.

"Vaati cannot return. I refuse to go back to that nightmare again, do you understand?" Sheik said, not noticing what was going on by their feet.

"Sheik!"

Fuu ran towards them, shouting at Sheik to stop. Before he could reach them, however, the floor beneath Shadow Link and Sheik vanished, and the two fell down into the depths below. "SHEIK!" Fuu shouted, doubling his speed. However, it was too late. The floor closed in on itself once more, covering the hole with white tiles as though nothing extraordinary had happened. Briefly, the symbol of an ominous eye flashed over where the two unsuspecting people had fallen before it, too, disappeared.

He slammed his hands against the tiles where Sheik and Shadow Link had disappeared. He remembered how Sheik had mentioned the various traps in the dungeons that stopped trespassers from continuing forward to the secrets they held.

And he also remembered how he was perhaps the only one who could enter the dungeons without setting off traps.

Him, and Vaati, the Sorcerer of Winds.

Fuu stood up slowly, his hand lingering where the eye had flashed red over the tiles. He would have to find another way to find Sheik again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sheik tumbled down into the darkness with Shadow Link somewhere to his side. He was pretty sure he'd elbowed Shadow Link a few times during their fall, which he didn't feel bad about at all since the troublemaker deserved it.

Just when Sheik had begun to wonder if they had fallen into a bottomless pit, he slammed against a pool of cool water. The force hit him like canon fire, and he had to force his eyes open to keep from losing consciousness. Dazed, he frantically clawed at the water with his hands, trying to find his way up. He felt for the bubbles rising, and once he found some sort of direction, followed them up towards air. He gasped, coughing up water and trying to clear his nose.

The first thing he noticed was that it was pitch black. He couldn't see a thing, not even his hands. As such, he couldn't tell what kind of place he was in, how spacious it was, or how deep the water was. All was deathly quiet save for the quiet gurgle of water from the splashing of his arms and legs. Then, he remembered Shadow Link. Where was he?

Sheik splashed around, though not too much: he was worried about swimming too far in an unknown, potentially dangerous area. After a few seconds, his adjusting eyes noticed a faint source of light somewhere below his feet.

It was the glow of the handcuffs around Shadow Link's wrists.

Without hesitation, Sheik dove into the water after Shadow Link, who didn't appear to be awake and was floating deeper and deeper into the pool. His cuffed hands had prevented him from swimming towards the surface.

Sheik managed to catch up to him just as the water pressure began to pop his ears, and he dragged him as quickly as he could back to the surface. With swift hand motions, he released the binds that cuffed Shadow's hands together, and pulled him over his shoulder to keep his head above the water. Out of frustration, and nearly drowning himself from carrying both of their weight above water, Sheik slapped Shadow Link hard across the face.

There was a violent fit of coughing as Shadow Link jerked awake and began to breathe again. "Cough, cough. Is that… is that you Sheik…?" Shadow Link's voice asked weakly from the darkness.

"Yes."

At this, there was a pause. When Shadow spoke again there was genuine confusion, "You try to kill me and now you're saving me… why?"

Without warning, bright, electric blue lit up the water from below so that Sheik could see every detail of Shadow Link's confused creases across his forehead. The confused creases then slowly turned into fearful ones as Shadow Link turned his head towards the depths. The blue lights began to move, snakelike, in a languid yet predatory circle. Sheik recognized the silhouette made from the blue glow as that of the legendary aquatic giant, Morpheel.

He smiled bitterly at Shadow Link, his expression glowing faintly in that ghostly blue. "Maybe I only wanted to bring you back to another kind of grave."

fleets: I feel like I should have a lot to say but I'm pulling all sorts of blanks because I'm sleepy. I'll probably end up babbling a lot anyway in another chapter update.

Cattycheeno: Yay! Glad you're enjoying this so far :D And yeah they really got him good: Vaati was really awful in this story's "world" (it's not the same one as the other stories I've written) and they definitely do not want him to come back in any sort of way.
I really enjoy writing Shadow! I kind of wish I'd used him more in the past :)

Scarlet Firesong: Aw thanks! I figured some people might have similar questions/comments as others and posting them all here would be nice :)

AquilaMage: I'm having a lot of fun writing him! He's different than the other characters I've written so far. And you got that right! Shadow definitely knew more, as was seen in this chapter. Old Vaati was more obnoxious to Shadow than Fuu was for sure haha

Lord Siravant: hahahahaahaha i love that (I was laughing when I read your note) XD

SubZeroChimera: Yuuup. It's too bad he didn't really know what Shadow Link could do. More smug Shadow on the way, unless I kill him in the next chapter HA

Flufux: And that's why I like characters like Dethl, because they have so many possible variations/interpretations. And ugh tell me about it: I too did not really like Ganon's sudden appearance. I guess it kind of stayed true to the games, with him stealing Vaati's thunder and all.

Serpent Tailed Angel: I literally just got your review as soon as I was about to submit this :P Wow I really like your descriptions of Gale and Fuu. That's. So. Perfect I love it! Yeah, Fuu definitely does not have that 'emo Vaati' vibe that Gale has. He's a lot less sour. And lol I've written so much Vaati it's getting kind of ridiculous. Sometimes I tell myself I should write a different character but I somehow keep finding myself back to the one eyed purple bat grape. And ahhh I'm flattered thank you ;n; (I think Rend took me for a spin with Fuu's characterization, too, since he's a little different, though still kind of the same, as Rend Vaati)